Sheet-metal reinforcing member for concrete and plaster.



C. P. CURLEWIS.

.SHEET METAL REiNFORCING MEMBER FOR CONCRETE AND PLASTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21.1915.

" Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

cLIvn PEMBERTON. CURLEWIS, or SYDNEY,--NEW soU'rH.WALEs,..AU's'rnALrA.

SHEET-METAL REINFORCING MEMBER. FOR ooivonn'rn AND'TLAS'TER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 76, 1917,

-Application filer1 July 21,1915. Ser'ial No. 415,144.

' To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, CLIVE PEMBERTON CUnLEwIs, a subject of the' King of' Great Britain and lr'eland,'residing at12 Castlereagh street,Sydney, New South WVales, Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Reinforcing=Members for Concrete and Plaster, of which the follow ng is a specification.

This invention relates to reinforoing-members for buildm structures, produced by slitting and forming fiat metal sheets'without expanding thenn and it has -for its Object'to provide a reinforcing element in which the metal is disposedto-maximum advantage to support'the plaster or cement surfaces spread upon 'it, and to secure rigidity sufficient to enable -awall stru'cture'to be erected Without using studding supports to carry the reinforcement. It is a further object of my invention to eifect the manufacture of such reinforcing elements at minimum cost, to which end-my =particular structure of reinforcing member has been designed so that'it'may be producedina single machine'op'eration *in which the metal is at once slitted and bent.

of metal of appropriate gage for the particular service required is divided longitudihailly for "the" greater part of its length by slitting it in parallel lines, and the slitted portions are bent transversely of their length to form rigid ribs the ends of which are carried by the uncut portions of the sheet which form transverse connecting members of the structure. Longitudinal rigidity is thus attained, and transverse rigidity, when required, is attained by bending the transverse connecting members transversely of their length. Transverse rigidity may be increased when required, by first folding these transverse portions of the sheet and then bending them.

My reinforcing element is thus constituted of longitudinal ribs connected by transverse flats or ribs without expanding the sheet. Where the sheet is of considerable length one or more transverse connecting members may be used in addition to the transverse members at the ends of the sheet.

My invention is distinguished from known forms of sheet metal reinforcement by the fact that the metal sheet is not expanded during or after slitting, and that long longitudinal ribs formed by transversely bending SllttGdGPOIitiOIIS rOfJ the sheeto are connected togetheraand "supported at theirifends by 2 transverse tmembersv which may also be :bent transversely -of' their :lengith v,-.to w augment tran'sverserigidity of the element.

lVIetal -sheet reinforcements accordingi to this invention- :may be. produced. and erected at1a-cost.whrclrcompetes with the cost of .wood lathing. This: result isattainedwbe- --cause2 the design "of the i reinforcement sis such thatit mayrbe produced in a SiIIglBzHliL- chine operation and :that i a low grades-0f nmetalmay be used in View of'thefact. that thenn'etal' is not so stressed or .dist'ortd in the in'anufacturingz operation: ascto :Weaken or fracture .it.

i In' the-accompanying 'drawingsyFigurej 1 isa: perspective. View @of& portion of a-shect of reinforcement according to my :invention in-which the :transverse members. areaf-lat and? the slitted portions arm-pressed. to a section w approximately parabolic, 7 :tapering away. at the shoulders.

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective: view exhibiting ::a fo'rm of PEtI'aHSVQBSB meinbers which; :procures transverse. rigidity, and exi hibiting alsozholes punched in sthe shoulders According to my inventioma flat sheetof theilongitudinal membersrto facilitate the section without rupturing the metal in the -'locality 'of the transverse member.

'Fig. 3, is a similar perspective view showing the longitudinal ribs formed to trough section by bending their edges and showing also the transverse member doubled and bent to augment transverse rigidity.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a sheet of reinforcement according to my invention with a transverse connecting member intermediate between the end connecting members and the three transverse members set up on rods to maintain them in alinement and sustain vertical load, and augment lateral stability.

These reinforcing members are suitable for the erection of divisional walls and light exterior walls and also in the construction of roofs and ceilings. Incidentally also the form of reinforcement shown in Fig. 1, in which the lateral members are flat, has a utility asa packing for goods requiring special protection during carriage, as thisform of reinforcement may be rolled transversely of its length.

When these reinforcing elements are fixed to studs or to ceiling rafters or the like by nailing, the transverse connecting members may be flatas shown at A, Fig. 1. When, however, they are required to be erected without studding, and with the ribs B in a horizontal plane, the transverse members are bent to form a hollow section as shown at C (Figs. 2, 8 and 4). As shown inFig. 3, the transverse bent member C may be doubled to further stiffen it, and thereby better enable the reinforcement to carry the weight of the plaster facing and to augment lateral stability, the ends of the sheets being so doubled over before thesheets are inserted in the slitting and forming machine. I When the ribs B are pressed to a parabola or similar curved section as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,.bursting of the metal at the shoulders E is prevented by punching holes F through the shoulders simultaneously with the slitting of the sheets so as to give maximum facility for flow of metal in the forming operation about those points.

In Fig. i H are metal rods to which sheets of the reinforcement with bent transverse members are applied by laying the same on to those rods, so that the rods will be embraced in the concaves of said transverse members 0. The sheets are secured to the rods by Wire ties as shown at K. A sheet of considerable length as shown at Fig. 4 may have intermediate of its transverse end members C one or more intermediate transverse members L.

- longitudinal rigidity between their ends Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 7

'bers.

which are supported by the transverse mem- Thus they may be formed either to parabola or like section as in Fig. 1 or to trough section as in Fig. 2, or the parabola type of section as shown in Fig. 1 may be modified to V-section.

Subject to limitations dictated chiefly by the relative thickness of the metal and length of the ribs, the several forms of reinforcement illustrated are usable for purposes of reinforcing concrete and similar structures generally.

W hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. .A reinforcing element constructed of flat sheet metal vslitted longitudinally to form parallel slats extending longitudinally to points near the ends of the sheet, the edges of said slats being bent to form said slats into rigid parallel ribs the ends of which are supported by uncut transverse portionsof'the sheet, and said uncut portions at the ends of the sheet consisting of ribs ofdouble thickness of metal.

2. A reinforcing element comprising a metal sheet havinguncut portions, upwardly pressed, parallel slats contained between said uncut portions and having shoulders at their junctions therewith, and holes punched near said shoulders to facilitate flow of metal in the pressing operation and thereby diminish risk of fracturing said metal. In testimony whereof I have aflixed ny signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVE PEMBERTON CURLEWIS. Vditnesses I S. BECK, vN. J. DAVIS.

Washington, 13.0. 

